I feel sorry for the author who commented on a blog post here not too long ago that e-mail marketing was dead now that authors could promote their books with social media.<\/span><\/p>\n

She couldn\u2019t be more wrong.\u00a0An author e-mail list is essential.<\/p>\n

Smart authors are relying less and less on social media and more on building and using e-mail lists to reach the people most interested in what they write. They have realized that we can\u2019t possibly see and read all of the tweets and status updates in our networks, but we see what comes into our inboxes.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why you need to build an e-mail list. It\u2019s one of the best ways to communicate on an ongoing basis with people you wrote your book for, whether it\u2019s fiction or nonfiction. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n

\n
1. When readers sign up for your e-mail list, they\u2019re giving you permission to send them information. They\u2019re saying, \u201cI\u2019m interested in what you\u2019re sharing.\u201d Those are the people you want to stay in touch with.<\/li>\n
2. People on your e-mail list are far more likely to notice and read interesting information from you in their e-mail inbox than they are in their social media feeds.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

   List-building mechanics<\/b><\/h2>\n

   Use your website to acquire e-mail addresses by adding a form connected to an e-mail marketing service such as iContact<\/a>, Constant Contact<\/a>, AWeber<\/a>, or MailChimp<\/a>. (Don\u2019t be intimidated by the technology \u2013 most of them\u00a0will walk you through the process. And a couple of those are affiliate links.)<\/p>\n

   You can also collect addresses by gathering business cards when you speak or by using a sign-up sheet at events, or by hosting a social media contest. In all cases, you have to let people know that you\u2019re adding them to your list.<\/p>\n

   When you\u2019re acquiring addresses from your website, you need to offer readers an incentive to add themselves to your list \u2013 call it an \u201cethical bribe.\u201d What can you offer them to give up their addresses? Maybe it\u2019s the first chapter of your book, a short story, a how-to report, an audio file, or a discount on a future purchase.<\/p>\n

   Think about what you\u2019ll send to your list on an ongoing basis, too. Whether you send a newsletter or an occasional update about your progress, any ongoing messages have to be useful, helpful, or informative. If they aren\u2019t, people will unsubscribe quickly.<\/p>\n

   Learn the rules <\/b><\/h2>\n

   I\u2019m disappointed when an author who subscribes to my newsletter<\/a> adds me to her own newsletter mailing list automatically. It’s a solid indication that she didn\u2019t learn what she needed to know about e-mail marketing before starting to build that important list. If she did, she’d know that adding anyone to your list without their permission is counter to federal guidelines.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

   When you add people to your list — rather than letting them add themselves — those people might report your email as spam.<\/p>\n

   If you get labeled as a spammer by doing that sort of thing, you\u2019ll be shut down.<\/p>\n

   Here are a few tips to avoid becoming that e-mailer that nobody likes:<\/p>\n

   \n
   • The e-mail messages you send to your list have to include instructions on how to unsubscribe. The services listed above add this for you\u00a0automatically\u00a0.<\/li>\n
   • It\u2019s called \u201cpermission-based marketing\u201d because you must ask for permission. People must consciously choose to receive your messages. They must “opt in.”<\/li>\n
   • Make sure your message content focuses on the recipient, not on you. Don\u2019t send repeated \u201cbuy my book\u201d messages. Send useful information that will benefit the subscriber.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     Building an e-mail list takes time, so start the process as soon as you can. Send regular messages to the people who have \u201copted in\u201d to receive your information, and you\u2019ll be rewarded when your book hits the market.<\/p>\n

     What’s keeping you from collecting names and e-mail addresses and creating a list?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

     <\/a><\/p>\n

     I feel sorry for the author who commented on a blog post here not too long ago that e-mail marketing was dead now that authors could promote their books with social media.<\/span><\/p>\n

     She couldn\u2019t be more wrong.\u00a0An author e-mail list is essential.<\/p>\n

     Smart authors are relying less and less on social media and more on building and using e-mail lists to reach the people most interested in what they write. They have realized that we can\u2019t possibly see and read all of the tweets and status updates in our networks, but we see what comes into our inboxes.<\/p>\n

     And that\u2019s why you need to build an e-mail list. It\u2019s one of the best ways to communicate on an ongoing basis with people you wrote your book for, whether it\u2019s fiction or nonfiction. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n

     \n
     1. When readers sign up for your e-mail list, they\u2019re giving you permission to send them information. They\u2019re saying, \u201cI\u2019m interested in what you\u2019re sharing.\u201d Those are the people you want to stay in touch with.<\/li>\n
     2. People on your e-mail list are far more likely to notice and read interesting information from you in their e-mail inbox than they are in their social media feeds.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,12],"tags":[407,408,409,410,411,412],"class_list":["post-5462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tactics","category-tools","tag-aweber","tag-constant-contact","tag-e-mail","tag-e-mail-list","tag-icontact","tag-mailchimp"],"yoast_head":"\n